


The Hidden Paw

by PearlRuby



Category: Ratched (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, adopting a pet, its soft lesbians with a cute cat what more could you want??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27408733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearlRuby/pseuds/PearlRuby
Summary: Mildred and Gwendolyn take in a lost cat.
Relationships: Gwendolyn Briggs/Mildred Ratched
Comments: 16
Kudos: 82





	The Hidden Paw

**Author's Note:**

> So I've really been missing my cats whilst I've been away at uni, and that led me to writing this. Plus, I'm sure everyone's been really stressed about the election over the past few days (I certainly have been, and I'm not even American!), so I thought I'd counteract the fear with something cute and fluffy (literally!). Enjoy.

Mildred heaves a huge sigh as she practically falls through the door and throws down her bag. It’s been a long and exhausting day at the hospital; she’d had to assess three new patients, and it was still a daily battle trying to stop little Tommy from throwing his food around at every mealtime. Over the years, Mildred has come to find genuine joy and fulfilment in her work as a nurse, but she can’t deny that she’s always grateful when she’s allowed to leave the chaos of the hospital behind and come home to Gwendolyn. 

Gwendolyn, however, is nowhere to be seen, which immediately strikes Mildred as odd. Normally, Gwendolyn always appears as soon as Mildred comes home, ready to hold her close and greet her with a kiss. But the house feels very empty, and Mildred feels herself tensing up. Any slight alteration from normality always causes her to jump to the worst-case scenario, and she finds her mind frantically running through all of the terrible things that might have happened to Gwendolyn in her absence. She begins to make her way around the house, trying to keep calm as she searches every room, but Gwendolyn is nowhere to be found. Panic rising, Mildred decides to try the garden as a last resort, and to her intense relief, she finds Gwendolyn out there, the evening sun streaming through her hair as she sits on the grass. 

Mildred’s joy at finding Gwendolyn safe and well, however, is immediately replaced by a powerful curiosity as she observes her lover more closely. Gwendolyn is leaning forward with her hand outstretched, making soft cooing noises and apparently completely fixated on something Mildred cannot see. Mildred moves closer, and soon realises the cause of Gwendolyn’s behaviour. A skinny, scruffy-looking cat is lying in the grass, softly purring as Gwendolyn strokes him and murmurs comforting words. It’s such a sweet and unexpected picture that Mildred can’t help but giggle, and Gwendolyn jumps as the sound alerts her to Mildred's presence for the first time. Her shock instantly gives way to a smile as she looks up at Mildred.

“Oh, hello darling,” Gwendolyn stands up and pulls Mildred into her arms before lightly kissing her, “I didn’t see you there.” 

“I realised that,” Mildred chuckles, brushing a stray lock of Gwendolyn’s hair behind her ear, “I see we have a visitor.” 

Gwendolyn grins, and lets go of Mildred as she kneels down to pick up the cat, who is still lying peacefully close by. He meows and struggles a little when Gwendolyn first puts her arms around him, but she holds him firmly and he quickly relaxes against her chest. She stands back up and places herself as close to Mildred as she can, so that the cat is sandwiched between them. The cat looks up at Mildred with inquisitive eyes, clearly curious about this newcomer. Mildred herself is fascinated by this unknown animal, and she slowly raises her hand and begins to stroke his head. He begins to purr loudly and nuzzle his head against Mildred’s hand, causing her to giggle. 

“He’s very sweet, isn’t he?” she exclaims, tickling him under the chin. Gwendolyn nods. 

“He really is. I have no idea where he came from, though. I don’t recognise him as being one of the neighbours cats, and he doesn’t have a collar.” 

“He’s probably been on the streets for a while,” Mildred says, pity filling her voice, “Look how skinny he is. Poor thing. What are we going to do with him?” 

Gwendolyn shrugs her shoulders. 

“Well, it’s getting too late to make any enquiries about him. We can go to the police tomorrow and ask if anyone’s reported a missing cat. But for now, ... I suppose we have to look after him for tonight. Is that OK with you?” Gwendolyn sounds genuinely concerned as she asks this last question; she knows that Mildred often struggles to adapt to change, even if it is only temporary. But Mildred, to her own surprise as much as Gwendolyn’s, lights up at the idea of keeping the cat for the night. She’s never considered herself a particularly big animal lover, but the cat is so adorable that she can’t help feeling attached to him. 

  
“Yes, I’d like him to stay. Shall we see if we can find him something to eat? He must be starving.” 

Gwendolyn nods, and they both walk into the house, Gwendolyn still carrying the cat. They head to the kitchen, and Mildred searches through the cupboards until she finds a can of tuna. She opens it and empties the contents into a bowl, which she places on the floor. She then fills another bowl with water and places that on the floor too. Gwendolyn puts the cat down beside the bowls, and gently pushes the tuna under his nose to try and encourage him to eat it. He sniffs at it suspiciously for a moment, but as soon as he’s convinced that it’s safe, he quickly begins to devour it, not pausing until he’s finished the entire bowlful. He then moves to the bowl of water and starts to lap it up. 

“I wonder when he last had a proper meal.” Gwendolyn says, a furrow appearing between her eyebrows. Mildred sighs and begins scratching the cat behind his ears. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been roaming around on his own for weeks, living on scraps. At least he’s been fed now.” 

As Mildred and Gwendolyn move around the kitchen preparing dinner, the cat remains close to them, constantly weaving through their legs and rubbing his head against their ankles. It’s very cute, even if it does mean that they both nearly trip over him multiple times. When they sit down to eat, he lies with his head resting on Mildred’s feet, clearly reluctant to be far from his newfound benefactors. 

“I’m surprised he likes being around us so much,” Gwendolyn remarks, taking a piece of chicken from her plate and dropping it onto the floor for the cat, “From what I’ve heard, most cats are pretty solitary.” 

“He’s probably lonely after fending for himself for so long.” Mildred replies, and there’s a hint of sadness in her voice which makes it clear that she understands that feeling, too. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Gwendolyn, who reaches across the table to take her hand. 

“He’s safe now. We’ll make sure he’s ok.” 

Mildred squeezes Gwendolyn’s hand, and gives her a small smile. 

After dinner, they wash the dishes, once again with the cat staying as close to them as possible. Before they go upstairs to bed, Mildred refills the bowl of water and puts down some old newspaper in the corner of the room. She has no idea if the cat is toilet-trained, but it’s worth a shot. At any rate, she doesn’t like the idea of leaving him outside all night; it might rain, or he might run away and get lost again. 

As Mildred changes into her nightgown and brushes her teeth, her thoughts stay fixed on the cat, wondering where he came from and why he ended up roaming the streets alone. Once she gets into bed, it soon becomes clear that the cat has been thinking about her, too; she has only just pulled the duvet over herself and cuddled up to Gwendolyn when she hears a pitiful, continuous meowing coming from outside the bedroom door. She lifts her head off of the pillow, concern crossing her face. 

“I don’t think he likes being left by himself. Can we ...” she looks sheepishly at Gwendolyn, worried that she’ll sound childish, “Can we let him sleep in here?” 

Gwendolyn gives a small chuckle and nods. 

“I think we’d better. I don’t think he’s going to stand for being ignored.” 

Mildred gets out of bed and walks over to the door, the sound of the cat's plaintive meows still filling the room. As soon as she opens the door, the cat darts into the room and jumps onto the bed. He kneads the duvet for a few seconds, then settles down on the end and curls up. Gwendolyn laughs. 

“I guess we’ve got ourselves a gatecrasher.” 

Mildred chuckles and gets back into bed, making sure to leave the bedroom door slightly ajar so that the cat can get out if he wants to. But when she wakes up in the morning, the cat is still curled up at the end of the bed. 

After breakfast, Gwendolyn mentions going to the police station to enquire about the cat. Mildred gives her an apologetic look. 

“I was wondering ... if maybe I could stay here with him while you go? I don’t want him to get lonely.” 

Gwendolyn smiles and pulls Mildred close, kissing her cheek. 

“Of course, darling. I won’t be gone long.” 

Mildred grins, suddenly very glad that she has a day off today. 

Gwendolyn’s enquiries at the police station yield nothing; the sergeant informs her that no-one has reported a missing cat matching the description she gives. Afterwards, she resorts to knocking on neighbours’ doors, asking if they or anyone they know has lost a cat, but yet again all reports are negative. She returns home somewhat dejected, but her heart warms as she takes in the scene that greets her when she walks through the door. Mildred is kneeling on the floor, trailing a piece of string around. The cat is frantically chasing it, darting every which way as he tries to get a hold of the end. Finally, he gives a pounce and traps the string beneath his paws, causing Mildred to giggle with delight. 

Gwendolyn smiles as she goes to kneel beside Mildred and wrap her arms around her. 

“I see you two have been bonding.” 

“He really is a sweetheart,” Mildred declares, resting her head against Gwendolyn’s shoulder, “Did you find anything at the police station?” 

“I’m afraid not,” Gwendolyn sighs, “No-one around here has reported him missing. There’s still no telling where he might have come from.” 

Mildred is silent for a moment, deep in thought. When she speaks, her voice is cautious, yet full of a hope she hardly dares to acknowledge. 

“If he doesn’t have an owner to claim him ... does that mean, maybe ... that we could keep him?” 

Gwendolyn is doubtful for a moment, trying to think through all the practicalities of owning a cat. But at the adorable, almost childlike look of hope on Mildred’s face, she relents. 

“Well, we’ll have to wait a few days to be sure that nobody’s going to claim him. But if he really is all on his own, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t keep him.” 

Mildred’s heart leaps. She’s truly amazed at how quickly she’s become attached to this cat, and the prospect of getting to own him makes her happier than she could have anticipated. She grins at Gwendolyn, who leans in and kisses her sweetly. Mildred giggles into the kiss, unable to contain all her happiness. 

“He needs a name,” Mildred says when they break apart, “What shall we call him?” 

Gwendolyn considers this briefly. 

“How about Macavity? After that T.S. Eliot poem? He’s definitely a ‘mystery cat’, so that fits.” 

Mildred smiles; it always amuses her what a literature fanatic Gwendolyn is. 

“Macavity ...” Mildred tries out the name, tasting it on her tongue, “I like it.” She reaches over to the cat and picks him up, hugging him close to her chest.

“Hi there, Macavity.” She whispers. Macavity purrs, and though she’s never believed in destiny, in that moment Mildred is sure that fate brought this cat into their garden. 

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Macavity was the name of my first cat (because my mum is a literature nerd and insists on naming all our pets after fictional characters), so that's where the inspiration for the cat's name came from. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed that. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I love hearing from people :-)


End file.
